Palestinian Film 'No Other Land' Wins Oscar for Best Documentary

Palestinian-Israeli film 'No Other Land' won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Academy Awards.

'No Other Land' reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist as we call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra stated in his acceptance speech.

The documentary follows Palestinian Basel Adra as he resists the Israeli army's efforts to forcibly displace his community in Masafer Yatta, where soldiers tear down homes to establish a military training zone. Much of the film relies on camcorder footage from Adra's as he captures the atrocities commited by Israeli forces, such as the bulldozong of a village school in the occupied West Bank. The film also follows Israeli investigative journalist Yuval Abraham, who develops a connection with Adra and co-directs the film.

'No Other Land' was shot between 2019 and 2023, before the Al-Aqsa Flood of October 7th.

The other nominees for Best Documentary include 'Black Box Diaries', 'Porcelain War', 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat' and 'Sugarcane'. This marks the first time a Palestinian film has won an Oscar in the Documentary category.

'No Other Land' has had a successful festival run, having won the audience award and documentary film award at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024, and the New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Non-Fiction Film. Despite having distributors in 24 countries, it still has none in the United States.